CONVERSATIONS ABOUT JESUS: NAMES OF JESUS - CORNERSTONE

 

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT JESUS (NAMES OF JESUS)

March 2

Cornerstone/Capstone (Psalm 118:22)

Based on Ann Spangler’s Praying the Names of Jesus

 

 

The Name

·      Stones were used for building altars, homes, palaces, and temples

·      The cornerstones held two rows of stones together in a corner: one that stabilized the structure at the foundation; one that formed the keystone over an arch or at the top of a roof. 

·      The cornerstone had to be perfectly fitted for the task, both strong & well-shaped

·      A flawed stone would compromise the structure’s integrity. 

·      Jesus is the Cornerstone to which we are joined as living stones. 

o   Together we form a spiritual house in which God dwells. 

·      Jesus is the foundation stone on which God is building His kingdom; Jesus is strong enough to hold everything together. 

·      When we pray to Jesus as the Cornerstone, we are praying to the One on whom we can base our lives. 

 

 

Understanding the Name

·      Psalm 118:22 says, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”

·      Jesus quoted this scripture in Luke 20:17: 

 

The Key Scripture – Luke 20:17

Jesus looked directly at them & asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone.’?”

 

·      When Jesus said this, He was pointing to His rejection by the Jewish nation and its leaders. Despite their rejection, God’s purposes could not be thwarted. 

·      The Master Builder (God) would make Jesus, through His death and resurrection, the cornerstone on which He would build. 

·      The NT portrays the whole community of believers as a holy temple in which God dwells. 

·      To those who reject Jesus and his saving message, He will not be a cornerstone, but a stone of stumbling, because rejection of God’s chosen one inevitably brings judgment. 

 

Questions 

·       Read Luke 20:9-19. Why do you think Jesus’ comments about “the stone the builders rejected” immediately follows the parable of the vineyard?

·       What do you think it means to build your life on Jesus as the Cornerstone?

·       What does it mean that Jesus is a stone that people will fall on?

 

Take Aways

·      Read Romans 9:30-32. God did not give up on us. Jesus’ plans and purposes endure forever. 

·      Jesus dwells within us; He is a refuge for us. We must throw away our patterns for self-reliance, and rely fully on God. 

·      Sing the old hymn, “How Firm a Foundation”.